Arsenal should earn a narrow 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
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Arsenal aim to keep their title hopes alive by beating Aston Villa at the Emirates this weekend.
The Gunners narrowly missed out on the title last season, and defeat in this fixture proved costly. This is their chance to get revenge, but beating the Villains is not an easy feat.
Mikel Arteta’s side came from behind to beat Tottenham midweek. The equalising goal was a familiar story for Arsenal this season, with Gabriel scoring from a carefully orchestrated set-piece routine. The Gunners may have to depend on set-pieces in the weeks to come, with the attacking unit struggling to cope without Bukayo Saka.
Aston Villa’s 4th-place finish last season saw them secure a place in the Champions League for the first time since 1983. They have fared well in Europe’s elite club competition and currently occupy 5th place. However, the success has come at a cost domestically.
Unai Emery’s side are 7th in the league, but they are just three points off 4th after the midweek win at Goodison Park. Villa have now won their last three competitive matches and are building some momentum.
The probable lineup for Arsenal in the “system of play.”
Raya; TImber, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Trossard, Martinelli, Havertz
The probable lineup for Aston Villa in the “system of play.”
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, Buendia, Watkins
Arsenal showed fighting spirit in their win in the North London Derby on Wednesday night. We are backing them to pick up where they left off and secure a win as the first of our Arsenal vs Aston Villa predictions.
The Gunners have conceded an average of 0.9 goals per Premier League game this season, which means they have the best defensive record in the division once again. The solid backline has compensated for Arsenal’s lack of an out-and-out scorer. Arteta’s team are unbeaten in 10 league matches at the Emirates this season, conceding just 0.7 goals per game in the process. With the home side conceding so few, we are also backing under 4.5 goals in the match.
Villa ended a run of five straight defeats on the road in the Premier League by beating Everton. However, they score 0.7 fewer goals than they concede on the road, which doesn’t bode well as they head to London.
Arsenal have compensated for a lack of firepower in forward areas with set-piece prowess. Therefore, we are backing Gabriel Magalhaes to find the net here, thanks to his presence in the box.
The Gunners’ set-piece routines have become a huge asset. They have scored 11 goals from set-pieces in the league this season, three more than Aston Villa, who have scored the second-most. Gabriel scored his sixth goal when he netted the equaliser from a corner against Tottenham.
The Brazilian defender ranks in the top 5% for shots over the past 12 months, as well as non-penalty goals compared with centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues. He hopes to make a contribution as Arsenal seek to navigate this tough test.
At least one team has kept a clean sheet in the last four head-to-heads between these sides, so we are backing Both Teams to Score – No as the last of our Arsenal vs Aston Villa predictions.
Since the start of last season, the Gunners have conceded an average of 0.81 goals per Premier League game, 0.24 fewer than any other side. They have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five league games at the Emirates.
Aston Villa’s recent away matches have seldom seen both teams to score. This bet has been successful in four of their last five Premier League games away from Villa Park.
Villa have shown they are capable of beating Arsenal in recent seasons, but the home side are the deserved favourites. This should be a cagey affair as the home side aim to keep the pressure on Liverpool in the title race.